


textbook boys

by todorokislion



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, allura is an intern, anyways yeah portioned lasagna gets some of what he deserves, coran teaches english, enjoy bye, grab a toothbrush for those cavities, hunay bc pure and sweet, i love the holt siblings!, idk when this is set but o well, is that it???, is this a slow burn??, keith loves it, lance and hunk are Best Friends, lance and keith take astronomy with mr. sendak, lotor and his gals before narti got got, lotor is a binch, lots of banter, meddling lotor, medic man lance, mr sendak is a ButtHole, oh boy do i love me some klance, one (1) fight occurs, pretty much pre season 4, sweet lance, they deserve the world, things are about to get juicy, zarkon is principal and nurse haggar but they're not mentioned (yet)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-09 19:50:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12895485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/todorokislion/pseuds/todorokislion
Summary: When he did start to read, Keith noticed small pencil markings beside the passage.anyone reading this?? write back if u hate sendak lolKeith frowned. People aren't supposed to write in textbooks.(In which Keith and Lance meet through a very old textbook and mutual hate for their teacher)





	1. oblivious

**Author's Note:**

> hey whats up im back and this time its my space gay boys ! high school au, hope u enjoy that. i've got more written but for now enjoy this

Keith Kogane was bored.  
  
It wasn’t the class, he loved Astronomy, it was his favorite part of the day. No, it was the teacher. Mr. Sendak had the most boring voice and was so strict that you couldn’t even chew gum without getting detention. Plus, it was a Monday and Keith was tired already.  
  
They were assigned to read 3 chapters in class and answer all the questions at the end of each chapter. But, right now, Mr. Sendak was giving them a lecture on why they needed to pay attention more in class, which happened more often than not.  
  
Keith inwardly groaned. He actually wanted to be doing textbook work. Anything was better than Mr. Sunshine Teacher's lectures.  
  
Keith quickly opened his textbook, careful not to tear it, when Mr. Sendak wasn't looking in his direction. He might as well get some reading done in this time of yelling.  
  
When he did start to read, Keith noticed small pencil markings beside the passage.  
  
_anyone reading this?? write back if u hate sendak lol_ _  
_  
Keith frowned. People aren't supposed to write in textbooks.  
  
He supposed it didn't matter, there were already dumb drawings beside the passages from past users.  
  
Keith decided to write a message back as a joke.  
  
_you know, you shouldn’t write in books._ _  
_  
Keith put his pencil down, satisfied. He started to read and block out Mr. Sendak's yelling.  
  
This would be a long class.  


+

  
When Keith came to school the next day, he had forgotten about the textbook message exchange. But once he opened the book to a new message, he remembered and smiled slightly to himself.  
  
_says you, who just wrote in this book_ _  
_  
The new pencil markings made Keith feel the urge write back a witty response.  
  
_you got me lol_  
  
Yeah, very witty.  
  
This back and forth textbook banter went on for the rest of the week, from jokes and pointing to odd diagrams with the caption " _that's you_ ." And then Thursday came, along with a new message. Keith had begun to anticipate the writings from this stranger to himself.  
  
When he opened the old and probably out of date textbook that day, his eyes met a group of numbers along with words:  
  
_here, just text me. it'd be better than vandalizing school property. put me in your contacts as lancey lance._ _  
_  
_Lancey Lance?_ Keith shrugged as he stealthily and quickly put the phone number into his contacts, with the name included. He sent a message saying _anyone reading this?? text back if u hate sendak lol_ . He stuffed his phone in his pocket before Mr. Sendak took it away and began to work on his assignment.  


—————

 

"Why are you so weird today?" Pidge nudged her glasses up with her finger.  
  
Lance looked up from his lunch to look across the lunch table at his friend. "No reason."  
  
"Oh, okay no. We know something's up." Hunk, seated beside Pidge, joined in the conversation. "What's going on? You seem impatient."  
  
Lance sighed and gave in. "I've been writing messages to this other person in Sendak's class through a textbook. And I put my number in there."  
  
Pidge made a choking sound. "You did _what_ ? Please explain this to me."  
  
Hunk agreed. "Yeah, yeah I'm pretty confused too."  
  
Lance put his hands up in the air. " _What_ ? I got bored when Sendak was screaming at our class so I wrote in the textbook for whoever is using it to write back if they hated him. And they did, and so we kept talking throughout the week. Hopefully, I'll have her number soon."  
  
Pidge took a bite of her sandwich and swallowed. "Maybe she can help you in class with what you don't understand."  
  
"Hey, it's not my fault Sendak's a sucky teacher!"  
  
"I'm going to agree with Lance on that one. Sendak sucks." Hunk ate some of his gourmet lunch that he always brought.  
  
"Thank you, Hunk. See, Pidge?"  
  
"Yes, yes I see. Now eat your lunch before it's time to go."  
  
Lance obeyed, but not before grabbing his phone and looking at his text messages. He had a new one from an unsaved number. It was from 30 minutes ago.  
  
**Unknown Number:**

 _anyone reading this?? text back if u hate sendak lol_ _  
_  
Lance gave a small laugh to himself. He started to eat his meal while saving the number of his new friend as Textbook Girl.  
  
**Lancey Lance:**

 _HAHAHAHA i'm lace_ _  
_ _  
_ _lance****_ _  
_  
He cringed inwardly sent the text. Great impression, he thought. Lance hurriedly finished his lunch before the bell rang.  
  
He shoved his phone in his pocket and picked up his trash as he got up from the table to go to class. Lance felt the vibration signaling a new text message. He smiled to himself.  


—————

  
_Lace, huh?_ Keith thought to himself. He had a ghost of a smile on his face.  
  
**Keef:**

 _can't even spell your own name right, can you_ _  
_  
He was walking to his last class of the day as he responded.  
  
The hallway was packed with people. Keith tried to shove his way through the people so he wouldn't be late for class. A figure pushed past him. Keith looked at him and saw long, white hair. He scowled. It was Lotor.  
  
He wasn't alone either. His entourage of intimidating girls was close to him, ready to defend him at any moment.  
  
Many things about Lotor annoyed Keith. First, he was Principal Zarkon's son, which made him the most popular of everyone. Second, he acted like he owned the place. Lotor was stuck up in every way, though he pretended to be nice to everyone except Keith. And third, Lotor would never publicly bully Keith; he wanted people to like him, so no one actually saw what a rude person he was. Yeah, Keith despised him. One of these days he might punch Lotor if he made him angry enough.  
  
Keith shook off his angry feelings as he walked into Mr. Coran's English class.  
  
"Good afternoon, Keith!" Coran's cheerful voice greeted him at the door.  
  
"Hey, Mr. Coran." Keith took his seat as the bell rang.  
  
Someone new ran into the room, out of breath. "Hi, sorry I'm a little late, Mr. Coran! Hallway traffic is awful." She had beautiful, bright white hair and dark skin.  
  
"Ah, Allura! No worries at all. Welcome!" Coran greeted the woman and turned to the class. "Everyone, this is Allura. She'll be the intern."  
  
"Hi, everyone. It's very nice to meet you!" She gave a smile that was as bright as the sun.  
  
"Alright, let's get started guys." Coran started to write on the board. "Turn to page 394 in your textbooks. Let's learn about some ancient myths."  


—————

 

"Wait, Lance," Hunk caught up to his friend as they walked from lunch to their last class: gym with Mr. Alfor. "I was thinking, how do you know that the textbook person is a girl?"  
  
"Well, my sweet Hunk," Lance began, "The handwriting in the book was curly."  
  
There was a short pause.  
  
"That's all you have?" Hunk raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Well... yes." Lance paused. "I think it might be that Nyma girl. She's cu- _woah_ , who is _that_ ?" Hunk followed Lance's eyes to a white-haired girl who seemed to be in a hurry.  
  
"That's the new English intern, Allura." Pidge joined the conversation. "Also, no Lance. Just, no."  
  
"What? Why no-" Lance didn't finish his sentence because Pidge smacked the back of his head. " _O-kay_ , message received, Pigeon, jeez."  
  
"Hunk, keep him in check while I'm in Physics." She took a turn and disappeared into a classroom.  
  
"I got ya, Pidge." Hunk calls after her. "Anyways, Lance. How's Nyma doing?"  
  
"She's great, Hunk. Very sarcastic and funny." Lance had a faraway look in his eyes. "I wonder when I'll meet her."  
  
Hunk chuckled. He patted his friend on the back as they walked. "I'm sure you'll meet her soon, buddy."

 

—————

 

"Keith? Is something wrong? You don't seem like yourself." His roommate, Shiro, was cooking dinner for the two while Keith was on the couch watching TV and looking at his phone every two seconds.  
  
"I'm fine, Shiro." Keith didn't look up from his phone. He had a new message from Lance.  


**Lancey Lance:**

_nope lol_ _  
_  
"Okay, Keith, you're smiling. Something's up." Shiro was onto him.  
  
"Hey, I smile!"  
  
Shiro raised an eyebrow. Keith sighed.  
  
"I've been exchanging textbook notes with this guy and he put his number in there so I texted him. We've been talking all week." He could feel a blush begin to form on his cheeks. He hoped Shiro didn't see as he looked back to his phone.  
  
"Oh, really?" Keith could practically hear the smirk in his roommate's voice. "What's his name?"  
  
"Lance."  
  
Shiro hummed in response. The smell of something burning wafted into Keith's nose. He sighed. He heard Shiro let out a string of curse words as smoke made its way over to Keith.  
  
"Hey, Keith?" Shiro slowly looked over to his roommate, waving his towel around.

  
But Keith just shook his head and sighed. "We can just get takeout again." He dialed the takeout restaurant and placed their orders.  
Closing his eyes, Keith leaned his head back on their couch and sighed.

  
—————

 

Lance absolutely _hated_ Sendak's class. He tried to get on his teacher's nerves as much as possible to make the class a little more bearable for everyone. But at least it was Friday.  
  
He was currently folding a piece of notebook paper into an airplane to send over to Hunk and Pidge, who were seated next to each other. Lance had been near them too, but Sendak moved him because he talked so much. But, Lance couldn't blame him for that; it was true.  
  
He finished up his paper airplane and wrote a note on it, saying:  
  
_choo choo_  
  
Lance made his aim to his friends and let it fly. It was midair before Sendak caught it and crushed it.  
  
"What," he began, "is this?"  
  
"It's a paper airplane, sir." Lance put a smirk on his face that hid his inner fear of his teacher.

  
"Don't get smart with me, McClain." Sendak's voice was poison.  
  
"Oh, I'm not. I thought you were actually asking me," Lance paused, "considering how unhip you are."  
  
The class filled with sounds of "Ooooh!", and one kid even said, "McClain Master of Sass is back!" Lance was sure that was Pidge.  
  
"That's _it_ . I've had enough of you, McClain." His teacher was radiating pure anger and hatred, but more than usual. "You're getting a week's worth of detention. Starting today."  
  
Lance froze, eyes wide. He'd gotten detention before, but a week's worth? Sendak must _really_ be having a bad day. Lance glanced over at Pidge and Hunk. He sighed when they both shrugged. There go his Friday plans.  
  
"Yes, sir." He mumbled.  


—————

 

Keith was late to class. His second class had been let out late and his teacher refused to give them a pass. He just hoped Sendak wasn't in a bad mood today.  
  
When he walked into class 5 minutes late, it was clear that Sendak was indeed in a bad mood.  
  
"Do you have a note, Kogane?" His fierce eyes bore into Keith's head.  
  
"No." He stood in the doorway, stopped.  
He could feel something coming.  


"Well that'll be a week's worth of detention, and you can start today." Sendak crossed his arms over his chest. "Is that clear?"  
  
Keith's mouth was open in shock. A week's worth seemed like too much for being late by 5 minutes. Sendak must really be angry today.

  
" _Is that clear_ ?"  
  
"Yes." Keith mumbled and put his head down, not making eye contact with anyone in the room.

"Yes, _sir_ , Kogane." His teacher’s voice was mocking and rude.  
  
"Yes, sir." Keith gritted his teeth. He could feel himself getting angry, but he tried to push it down. There was no one he hated more than Sendak. Except maybe Lotor. Or Principal Zarkon. Okay, Keith hated a lot of people.  
  
He made his way over to his seat and sat down, not saying another word.  


—————

 

Lance walked into detention kind of late. There was another kid in there sitting quietly and looking somewhat emo. He smirked to himself. One other boy sat in the far corner, and he looked pretty scary. He had a pointy nose and a ring to go with it and wore a dark flannel and jeans. So, not _all_ that scary, but Lance felt that Emo Boy might be nicer. It was a gut feeling.

He sat down in the row next to Emo Boy in the room, seats side by side.  
  
"Who's the detention teacher?" Lance looked over at the boy beside him and saw that he had a mullet. But he somehow managed to actually make it look good.  
  
The boy shrugged and kept staring ahead.  
  
_O-okay_ , Lance thought. _This guy seems like fun._  
  
The door opened and the detention teacher walked in. He was short, had a belly that hung over his belt, and moved like a snail.  
  
"Good afternoon, I'm Mr. Varkon." He cleared his throat. "I'll take the role and then you'll sit in silence until it's over at 4:30." Varkon fumbled with some papers before dropping all of them on the ground. Lance almost laughed out loud. Once the teacher had gotten situated, he began to call names.  
  
"Keith."  
  
The boy sitting next to Lance lifted his hand. "That's me."  
  
"Rolo."  
  
The scary guy in the far corner raised his hand without saying a word.  
  
"Lance."  
  
He raised his hand and made a finger gun at Varkon. "That would be me."  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the person- Keith -next to him slowly turn his head to look at Lance. His mouth was slightly open.  
  
"Lance?" The look on Keith's face was utter confusion. Lance's own facial expression was the same as he made eye contact with Keith.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Lancey Lance?" Keith's eyebrows were raised and his eyes were wide. "It's the textbook guy."  
  
The realization slowly formed on Lance's face. "Oh my god, _you're_ the person I've been texting?"  
  
"Uh, yes?"  
  
"Hey! Quiet down, you two!" Varkon had settled himself into a rolling chair behind the desk with a magazine that had- was that _Principal Zarkon_ on the cover? Lance wondered where in the world he could even get that. Keith still looked bewildered.  
  
Lance was still very confused. Keith was who he had been texting? And even _flirting_ with? He didn't really regret the flirting though; Keith was kind of beautiful.

  
About fifteen minutes of pure, awkward boredom passed before Lance heard snoring. He looked up from staring at his desk, zoned out, and saw Varkon taking a nap.  
  
_Man, Zarkon must be boring_ , Lance thought.  
  
He looked over at Keith and saw that he was zoned out too. Lance reached over and tapped his shoulder. He pointed to the snoring teacher. Keith looked at Lance and then to Varkon. He covered his mouth to hide his smile. The two silently laughed at their teacher, careful not to wake him up.

  
After a couple of minutes, Keith looked over at Lance and whispered, "Okay, so let me get this straight. You didn't know I was the textbook guy?"  
  
"Dude, are you serious? I thought you were a girl." Lance's eyes were wide and his voice was quiet.  
  
"You're joking, right?"  
  
"Okay, to be fair you never introduced yourself or said that you were a boy. How was I supposed to know?" He put his hands up in exasperation.  
  
Keith looked confused and a little mad, but it disappeared quickly. His face returned to a neutral state. "Okay, well, now you know. Hi, I'm Keith, _the guy you've been texting for a week now_ ."  
  
"Hey, no need to get snippy, I admit my fault." Lance's voice started to rise to a talking level.  
  
"Hey, shut up! You might wake him up!" Keith pointed back to Varkon.  
  
Lance stuck out his tongue and sat back in his seat. He sat like that for a minute in silence. And then an idea popped into his head. He glanced over at Keith, who was staring into space again.  
  
"Keith."  
  
The boy over at Lance. He shrugged as if saying "What?"  
  
"You wanna pull a prank on him?" He gestured toward the sleeping teacher.  
  
A sly smile made its way onto Keith's face. "What were you thinking about doing?"  
  
"Okay, so you want to get out of here, right?"  
  
Keith nodded.  
  
"Well, why don't we change the clock to 4:30 pm and leave a note saying that detention was over so we left?" Lance crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"Let's do it."  


*

 

The next thing Keith knew, he, Lance, and that Rolo kid was running from the classroom towards the parking lot. Keith couldn't contain his smile.  


—————  


Detention ended, and the same escape plan occurred every session. Both boys soon figured out that they had the same lunch period, so Keith was introduced to Lance's best friends, Hunk and Pidge.  
  
"Hi, Keith! Nice to meet you, I'm Hunk." Lance's friend smiled warmly and invitingly at him. Keith gave a smile and a nod back.  
  
"Hey, I'm Pidge." She pushed her glasses up with her finger. "Lance talks a lot about you, you know." Pidge hid her last sentence behind her hand, but Lance still heard it.  
  
" _Pidge_!"  
  
"What? It's true!" Pidge put her hands up in the air. Keith laughed. He liked these people. Pidge turned her gaze back to him. "Anyways, welcome to the nerd club."  
  
"Glad to be here." A smile made its way onto Keith's face. He opened his lunch that Shiro had attempted to make and began to eat. It wasn’t actually bad, but there’s no way you can mess up a PB  & J, in Keith’s opinion. Beside him, Lance pulled out a cheese stick.  
  
"Oh, no. Lance, _please_ don't eat that cheese stick like a heathen." Hunk put his face in his hands, shaking his head.  
  
"Like...this?" Lance unwrapped his snack and took a bite straight out of it. "Is that the heathen way, my sweet Hunk?" He batted his eyelashes.  
  
His friend groaned. "Lance, you _know_ that's the heathen way."  
  
"Hey, wait a second." Keith reached into his lunch bag and pulled out an identical snack. "I have one too."  
  
"Keith, please tell me you're not like Lance." Pidge gave him a long stare.  
  
Keith smiled slyly as he opened up the cheese stick and took a bite out of it just like Lance.  
  
The groans from Hunk and Pidge and the laughter from Lance made Keith fill with a bubbly happiness. He felt a twinge in his heart when he looked at Lance that wasn't anything he'd ever felt before. But, looking at his new friends, Keith knew what he felt, and it was pure happiness. This is what good friends are like. He could live in this moment forever.  
  
But the bell had to ring, and Keith and his new friends had to go to their respective classes. Hunk and Lance were off to gym with Coach Alfor, Pidge was off to Physics with Professor Slav, and Keith was heading off to English with Mr. Coran and Allura. He wished he didn't have to leave. He was sad to leave Lance.  
  
They exchanged their goodbyes, leaving Keith to walk to English by himself.  
  
As he was walking through the hallway, Keith heard the distinct giggling and voices of Lotor and his friends. But they weren't bothering him today, for some reason. Keith was relieved.  
  
Things were looking up.  


—————

 

Lance looked up at his friends over his steaming cup of coffee. "I'm sure you all are wondering why I've called you here."  
  
"Yes, but can we hurry up? I've got a Physics test to study for." Pidge took a sip of her black coffee. Hunk nodded in agreement with her.  
  
"Okay, well I'll make this short then." Lance took in a breath. "I think I like Keith."  
  
Hunk and Pidge raised their eyebrows. "That's _it_ ? That's why you called us here in a state of 'emergency'?" Hunk made air quotation marks around the last word.  
  
"It is an emergency!" Lance threw his hands up in exasperation. "What should I do?”

 

“Well,” Hunk began, “you should probably start by seeing if he responds to flirting.” Pidge nodded.

 

“Okay… that’s good, I can do that.” Lance cupped his face with his hands. “Ugh, guys.”

 

“When did it start?” Pidge sipped her drink as she asked.

 

Lance was quiet for a second. “After the first detention session, probably.”

 

Pidge steepled her fingers together across her mouth. “I see.” She made a move to get out of the booth they were all sitting in.

 

“Woah, where are you going?” Hunk looked over at his friend. “We just got here.”

 

She turned her gaze toward him. “I’ve got a test to study for, remember?”

 

Hunk sat back and crossed his arms. “Oh, right. See you later, good luck studying.” Pidge nodded and waved at them as she left. He looked up at Lance. “Well, just me and you now, buddy. Let’s talk Keith. What do you like about him?”

 

Lance rested his cheek on his hand and gazed into the distance, dreamily. “Honestly, he’s sarcastic and beautiful. I mean, have you _seen_ him?” Hunk nodded and smiled. “Even the mullet, Hunk. Mullets don’t usually work, but he just looks so _good_ in it.” Lance crossed his arms on the table and laid his head down in the space they made. He sighed.

 

“You’re in too deep, aren’t you?”

 

Lance grunted in response. “And it’s only been, like, a month since I met him.”

 

“Yeah, it’s crazy how that stuff works.” Lance heard his friend take a sip of his drink, the noise indicating that he’d almost finished it. Lance’s own drink was still full; he’d been talking about Keith for a while. Oops.

 

He took a drink of his coffee. “So how’s your cooking class coming along?” Lance changed the subject to something he knew Hunk would actually like talking about. And he was right- Hunk launched into a full description of what he was learning to cook.

 

They both talked for so long that they ran out of drinks, so Lance went up to the counter to get more.

 

“Hey, how can I help you?” The man behind the register gave him a polite smile. He had a white tuft of hair and a scar across his nose that made Lance wonder where they came from.

 

“Oh, there are _many_ ways you could help me.” Lance winked. The man’s eyes widened. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I’ll have another hot chocolate and a caramel mocha, please. Both smalls.”

 

Lance saw that his name tag said “Shiro” as he put the orders in.

 

Shiro gave a side smile. “Coming right up, that’ll be $4.87.”

 

“Cool, thanks.” Lance exchanged the money for a receipt and went to sit down.

 

“Welcome back, dude.” Hunk was on his phone. “Also,” he looked up, “did you _flirt_ with that guy?”

 

Lance puckered out his bottom lip. “Maybe.”

 

Hunk put a hand to his forehead. “Oh _god-“_

 

 _“_ It’s _fine,_ Hunk. I told him I was kidding.” He patted his friend’s arm.

 

Hunk was looking up to the ceiling now, as if in prayer. “One of these days, I swear, he’ll get us kicked out.”

 

Lance laughed loudly. “My sweet Hunk, have I ever told you I love you?”

 

He just groaned in response.

 

“Hot chocolate and caramel mocha!”

 

“Sweet, that’s us!” Lance got up out of the booth and made his way towards his orders.

 

“I mean, we are the _only ones_ in here, Lance…” Hunk shook his head as his friend came back to the table with their drinks. “Man, what time even _is_ it?”

 

Lance looked at his phone. “It’s like, almost 7.”

 

“Ugh, dude. I gotta get home. I still have to do homework.” Hunk took a long drink of his hot chocolate before almost yelling, “Hot! Hot hot hot hot hot don’t drink it yet, Lance, it’s _very_ hot!”

 

“Dude,” Lance couldn’t contain his laughter, “Ha- Dude, are you okay? I’m sorry, it’s funny, are you okay?”

 

Hunk nodded before snorting. “ _God-_ “ He laughed. “That’s gonna hurt for like a week!”

 

“I love ya, Hunk my man.” Lance pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.

 

“Love you too, buddy.” He sighed. “Man, I gotta get home though. My mom’s probably making dinner now.”

 

“Yeah, my family probably wants to see me.” Lance gave a side smile and slid out of the booth. Hunk did the same.

 

“See you tomorrow, Lancey Lance.” Hunk rolled his eyes as he said it.

 

Lance waved goodbye, still laughing as they walked out the door and went their separate ways home.


	2. fights and flirts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as u can see, i am very good at names for things
> 
> enjoy this, things are about to get Juicy

“How’s your tongue?” Lance asked his friend as they walked to class. “You know, the one you burned on hot chocolate.”

 

“Oh, because I have multiple tongues?” Hunk laughed and shook his head. “It hurts still, but it’s happened before. I’ll be fine.”

 

Lance patted his back. “Good. I’m proud of you, buddy. You’re handling this like a champ.”

 

“Thanks, Lance.”

 

"Hey, I'm gonna go to the bathroom, go ahead to gym without me." Lance made a beeline for the boy's bathroom. "Just tell Coach Alfor where I'm at."   
  
"Sure, dude." Hunk gave a thumbs up before leaving for gym.    
  
Lance walked into the bathroom and saw bright, white hair on a tall figure. He raised an eyebrow.  _ How does he keep that so clean? _ he thought. Lance walked past him to an empty stall before he heard a noise. He turned to face the other person in the bathroom.   
  
The figure gave a side eye to Lance and he spoke, his voice deep, smooth, and accented. "You know that Keith is only using you, right?" He held his hand up like he was looking at his nails.   
  
Lance froze, a chill running down his spine.  _ Who is this guy? _ __   
  
"You don't know me, but I've seen you at lunch with him. He's not a good person, Lance." He put his hand down and looked into the mirror, fixing stray pieces of hair. His body was angled so Lance couldn't see his face.   
  
"How do you know my name?" Lance leaned back against the cool, white brick wall next to the stall.   
  
"That's not important." The figure turned around. He had a strand of hair sticking up and out over his face. "I know you might not believe me. But he's only using you for selfish reasons."   
  
The more Lance heard, the more he believed. A small voice in the back of his head asked:  __ Can you really trust Keith? Or should you trust this stranger?  This had to be witchcraft of some sort.

  
The mysterious person turned around fully and walked out, saying that he's only looking out for him.  _ Wait, I think that’s Lotor.  _ Lance thought.  _ Isn’t he the principal’s son?  _ He looked him up and down.  _ Sure seems like it.  _

 

Lotor shouldered past Lance, leaving him with a dumbfounded expression.  _ Who should he believe?  _ He’d known Keith longer than he’d known Lotor. This is the first time they’d ever even acknowledged each other. However, he had a tone of voice that made Lance trust him, which was kind of unsettling. Oh well.

 

Lotor was long gone by now, but Lance was still standing in the bathroom, a bit shocked and confused. He shook his head, regained his cool demeanor, and left the bathroom to go meet Hunk. He was torn into two, but he finally made his decision about who to trust.

 

—————

 

Keith was having a rough day. For some reason, Lance seemed distant. He'd barely been texting Keith. And when they were talking, it was only one-word responses. The lunches were a lot more awkward than usual. Most days Lance would say he had to go to the bathroom, leaving Keith with Hunk and Pidge. He couldn't say it wasn't his own fault. Keith had the tendency to push people away once they got a little too close. But he couldn't remember doing anything specific.    
  
Sendak wasn't making his day any better. When Keith walked in, his teacher gave him an icy glare that had more of a bite than usual.   
  
He walked over to his seat and sat down. The textbook was already open. Keith could see a scribble of words. He sighed internally. Maybe Lance was realizing that he hurt him. Maybe he’s apologizing. 

 

_ don't text me _   
  
Keith felt a wave of shock go through his body. Why would Lance say that?  _ I guess it really is me.  _ he thought _. _

  
His world came crashing down. But all the same, Keith obeyed the words. He didn't text Lance at all that day. At least their detentions had been served, it would've been too awkward and sad to see him in there.   
  
The only thing keeping him going through the day and his classes was Shiro. He was the person closest to Keith. He could trust him with anything.   
  
Shiro was the only person Keith doesn't push away. A wave of guilt crashed over him. He needed to fix this, but he wasn't sure where to start. Heck, Keith wasn't even sure Lance wanted to be his friend anymore. It sure didn't seem like it.   
  
Keith trudged through the last of his classes before going home.    
  
When he got there, Keith stayed in his room for the rest of the night. He knew Shiro was worried, but he didn't care. He messed up.   
  
A knock sounded on his door for the third time in 30 minutes. "Keith?"   
  
He didn't feel like answering. Again. 

  
"Keith, I know you don't want to talk, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm going down to the shop to work my shift. I'll get someone to cover for yours. There's leftover takeout in the fridge if you get hungry. I'll be back around 9." Shiro's footsteps sounded and then disappeared.    
  
Keith sighed and shifted his body.  _ How do I fix this? _ He thought. He scrolled through the conversations between him and Lance all the way back to the beginning, which was a mistake. Keith's heart hurt.

 

—————

  
Shiro hummed as he walked down to his coffee shop. The late afternoon sun gave a low glow to the area around him. It was peaceful. But the thought of Keith in the back of his mind made him feel worried.   
  
He walked in the door, greeted by Shay working behind the counter.    
  
"Hi, Shiro!" She waved happily at him. Shiro gave her a wave back. "Hey, Shay. How're things going?"   
  
"Good! It's pretty quiet here, though." She absentmindedly played with her brown curls that covered her golden hoop earrings.   
  
Shiro looked around and saw no one in the shop. He sighed. "If you want, you can take the rest of your shift off. It doesn't seem like there'll be much to do here." But Shay shook her head. "I'm fine, I like the quiet. Plus, there’s a good view of the sunset from here."    
  
Shiro made his way to the counter and sat on a stool behind it. Suddenly, the door opened and the bell jingled. In came two teenagers, one with a very kind face and an orange bandana and the other with glasses and a short height. They were talking up a storm.   
  
"Hunk, we gotta figure out a way to fix this-" The small girl was waving her hands around as she talked. Shiro smiled to himself. She reminded him of one of his old childhood friends.   
  
"I know, how do you think we can do it?" The taller kid, Hunk, put a hand on his forehead. "I hate seeing him like this, Pidge. Plus, lunch is so  _ awkward _ now."   
  
The girl, Pidge, nodded. “I know. It’s awful. They need to get their stuff together or I  _ will  _ die from the awkwardness.” They made their way over to the counter.    
  
"Hi, how can I help you?" Shay got to them before Shiro could. He could see her glancing at Hunk a little longer than Pidge. Hunk was flat out staring at Shay in awe, eyes wide and mouth  _ slightly _ open.    
  
"Uh-" He began. Pidge put her hand over her friend's mouth.   
  
"He'll have a small vanilla bean frappe and I'll have a black coffee, tall please." She removed her hand to reach for her wallet.    
  
"Coming right up!" Pidge and Shay exchanged money and the still speechless Hunk sat in one of the empty booths. Pidge joined him.   
  
"Dude, seriously?" Shiro could hear the girl scolding her friend for staring at his employee. "You probably scared her."   
  
"Ugh, I'm sorry, she's just so," Hunk paused and lowered his voice, " _ pretty _ ."   
  
"Yes. But we have to figure out this Lance problem." Pidge put her hands flat on the table.    
  
_ Wait, Lance? _ Shiro thought.  _ Isn't that the guy Keith was talking to? _ He continued to eavesdrop.    
  
"Yeah, you're right. I just feel bad. Lance is like my brother." Hunk looked down. "And Keith too, man. He's super cool."   
  
_ Keith? _ Shiro was sure of who they were talking about now.    
  
"Here, Shiro, do you want to take these to them?" Shay quietly appeared next to him with the drinks. "I know you're interested in what they're saying." She gave a small laugh.   
  
Shiro smiled sheepishly and accepted the drinks. "Sure."   
  
He walked from behind the counter towards the booth with Hunk and Pidge. "Hey, here are your drinks."   
  
"Sweet, thanks!" The girl looked up at him as he set down the two orders.   
  
"Also, I know it's rude to eavesdrop, but I heard you guys mention my roommate's name. It's Keith." Shiro felt embarrassed.   
  
Hunk's eyes grew wide. "You know Keith?"    
  
"Yeah. And I feel like I know Lance too, from how much Keith talks about him at home."   
  
"Dude, sit down. We have an issue that you could help with." Hunk slid over a bit and Shiro sat down next to him. "I'm Hunk, and this is Pidge. We're Lance's best friends."   
  
"I'm Shiro, Keith’s best friend." He gave a small, friendly smile to both of them. "So, what's the problem?"   
  
Pidge pushed her glasses up with her finger and launched into an explanation. "Well, Keith and Lance have been texting, as you probably know. And they've become good friends and we've become friends with Keith too. But lately, they've been... weird. Lance hasn't been sitting with us and we think it's because something has happened with Keith." She sighed. "We're trying to figure out what exactly happened and how we can fix it."    
  
Shiro thought that over for a couple of seconds. "Well... Sometimes Keith has some issues with getting close to people. He tends to push them away when they get too close." He paused, lowering his voice. "And he was in and out of foster homes for most of his life and then my family met him a couple years back and basically adopted him. So he's pretty much the little brother I never had. That might have something to do with it."    
  
Pidge hummed in response. She took a sip of her coffee. "That's probably it. But how should we fix it?"   
  
"I can try and talk to Keith about it." Shiro shrugged. “But I don’t know how soon it’ll be, he’s been in his room all night.”   
  
"Oh dang! I'll talk to Lance about it too, though, to see if anything specific happened."   
  
Shiro nodded. "We can meet back here sometime. I work every day, so if you find anything out you can come tell me and we can fix this."   
  
Hunk made a thumbs up. "Sounds like a plan. Thanks for the drinks, by the way." He held up a finger, as if remembering something. “Oh, and I’m just going to apologize for him for flirting with you. He’s like that.”   
  
“Wait, that was  _ Lance _ ?” Shiro’s mouth was open. 

 

Hunk chuckled. “Yeah, that’s my best friend. Sorry about that again.”

 

Shiro shook his head. “No worries, you wouldn’t believe how many people hit on me.”

 

“Sounds tiring.” Pidge chimed in.

 

Shiro rolled his eyes and nodded. “It is.”

 

Hunk laughed. “Well, thanks again for the drinks. I’ll come by if we find anything out.”

 

"Cool." He turned to walk away. "Good luck with Lance. He seems like a nice guy, from what Keith has told me, even if he flirted with me." He laughed.

  
Pidge smiled to herself. "Yeah, he sure is something."   
  
Shiro chuckled. He could tell that they both really cared for their friend. Lance was lucky to have them. He walked back to the counter. A couple minutes later, the two teenagers stood up from their booth and waved as they left.    
  


—————

 

Keith was slowly crumbling. He still hadn't found a way to fix the Lance situation. Lunches were too awkward, so Keith had stopped sitting with Hunk, Pidge, and Lance. Not that Lance had been sitting with them anyway.   
  
His classes went by slower and slower as the day went on. Astronomy was by far the slowest, though.    
  
He could hear snickering close by him. Keith knew it was Lotor and his friends.  _ Just do your work and ignore them _ , he thought.   
  
The class passed by with a snail-like speed, Keith barely keeping a grip on his emotions. He was sick of Lotor and sick of Sendak.   
  
Once the bell rang, he practically ran out of the classroom. Keith needed a break.    
  
He made his way outside through the sea of people in the hallway and leaned against the brick wall. Keith let out a long sigh and closed his eyes.   
  
"Skipping class, are we?" The snarky voice reached Keith's ears.   
  
He furrowed his brows and kept his eyes shut. "Not now, Lotor."   
  
"You know, Keith, you really should get to class. You wouldn't want to be late." Lotor's voice was silky and smooth, but Keith wasn't buying it.    
  
"Just go away." Keith was close to losing it.   
  
"No, I think I'll stay. Maybe I can walk you to class." Keith could hear the giggles of his entourage in the background. Great. He opened his eyes and focused on a faraway tree.   
  
"Lotor, I'll give you one more chance to leave me alone." He was getting more and more angry by the second. The warning bell rang.    
  
"Come on, we have to go." He could hear the quiet voice of Axca. Keith disliked her the least out of Lotor's friends.   
  
"Why don't you go, Axca. I'm going to stay with my friend Keith." He leaned against the wall next to Keith. "So, how's that guy you've been hanging out with?"   
  
Keith was silent.    
  
"Come on, you can tell me. We're friends, right Keith?"   
  
Keith never said a word, trying too hard to keep his cool. But Lotor wouldn't quit.   
  
"You know... he's only friends with you because he pities you. And it seems like you two are growing apart."   
  
Keith's eyebrows furrowed more.    
  
"Keith? Come on, you know I'm rig-" Lotor didn't get to finish. Keith had snapped.    
  
He was aware of his fists on Lotor's jaw before anything else. He heard the shocked scream of Ezor, one of Lotor's friends. Keith heard footsteps running away, probably getting the principal.  _ Thank God Zethrid isn't here _ , he thought.  _ I'd be a goner _ .    
  
Keith felt a couple of punches landing on his own jaw. A crack notified him that his nose may be broken. But he didn't stop.    
  
And then it was over. Keith felt hands grab him and pull him off of the person he was punching. He heard a muffled sound that sounded a lot like his name and Lance's voice.    
  
"Keith?  _ Keith _ !"   
  
He felt hands on his shoulders that shook him into reality.   
  
"Lance?" It hurt to talk.   
  
"Oh my  _ god _ , Keith, are you okay? What happened?" Lance sounded really worried. Keith smiled to himself, despite the pain. Lotor was wrong about Lance. "Keith, why are you smiling? I’ll take care of you. Come on, can you walk?"    
  
"It's not that serious, Lance. I'm fine." Keith stood up if a little unsteadily. He glanced over at the guy on the ground, who was covered in blood. “Lotor…” His face hardened.   
  


"How... sweet.." Keith heard him croak out a snarky comment.   
  
"You shut your  _ whore _ mouth, Lotion." Lance sounded as angry as Keith had felt earlier. But still, he busted out laughing at Lance's comment.   
  
Lance started to walk Keith to the nurse's office. He was a little wobbly, but with Lance supporting him, he felt like he was flying. Lotor must've gotten a few too many punches in too because Keith was starting to hurt. And his nose was spouting a little too much blood for it to be normal.    
  
He was aware of Lance saying something about not texting him as he put a piece of cloth on his nose. Keith smiled a little more to himself. "I'm really sorry, Keith. What happened?"   
  
He took a second to respond. "Lotor was being obnoxious and rude as always. I've been having a bad day and I guess I just... snapped."    
  
"I've met Lotor before actually." Lance stopped walking. He looked down, not taking his arm off from around Keith. "I saw him in the bathroom. And, I know it's totally my fault for not texting you, but he told me things about you." Keith felt a shiver go through his body. "I was wrong to believe them." Lance looked up and made eye contact with Keith. "I'm sorry, Keith. I've been awful to you, and you haven't deserved it."    
  
Keith thought his heart might burst.

 

Instead of voicing his emotions, he said, “Yeah, you’ve been pretty awful.”

 

“Jeez, I’m really sorry.” Keith looked at Lance’s face and saw nothing but regret. 

 

“It’s okay. You’re-“ He coughed. “You’re here now.” Keith was hurting, in both his heart and his face.

 

They walked- or Lance dragged Keith- for a couple minutes before Keith asked where Lance was taking him. They’d already passed the school and it’s nurse’s office. 

 

“Where are we going? We passed Nurse Haggar’s office already.” Keith turned his head to look upward at Lance. 

 

“Are you kidding? I’m not taking you to that witch.” His eyebrows creased. “I don’t trust her as far as I can throw her.”

 

Keith snorted, which hurt. “Ow…” 

 

“Dude, be careful!  _ Please _ don’t bleed out on me.”

 

“I’ll be sure to bleed right on you, then.” 

 

Lance laughed. “Okay, buddy. Anyways, we’re going to my car. I have first aid supplies there.”

 

“What a man.” Keith’s head was starting to feel light. His eyes widened once he realized what he said. “I feel lightheaded.”

 

“Oh  _ God _ , stay with me, Keith. Come on buddy. Almost there.” They started to pick up the pace a little. “Stay with me. Don’t pass out, dear  _ god _ don’t pass out.”

 

“Lance, I’m not  _ dying _ .” 

 

“I know that! I’m just saying.” He shrugged his shoulders in defense. 

 

Keith felt the change from grass to asphalt on the soles of his shoes. “Are we there?” 

 

“Yeah.” Lance brought out his keys from his pocket and unlocked his car. He opened the passenger door and patted the seat. “Sit here. I’ll get the stuff.” 

 

“What is this, a drug deal?” Keith joked as he sat down in the soft backseat of the blue car, watching Lance open the trunk. 

 

A musical laugh sounded from him, making Keith’s heart twist. 

 

“Okay.” Lance set the first aid kit on the ground and opened it. “I have running alcohol and some Vaseline for your scrapes. As for the nosebleed, let’s hope the ice in my McDonald’s cup hasn’t melted yet.”

 

“Didn’t know you were a doctor.”

 

Lance chuckled. “I’m not, but I know how to look up stuff on Google.” He took out the bottle of rubbing alcohol and a pack of tissues and opened them both. “This might sting.”

 

Lance took the rubbing alcohol and turned it upside down for a second onto a bunch of tissues. “Ready?”

 

Keith shrugged. “I guess.”

 

“Okay.” Lance bent down on a knee, took the tissues, and starting to wipe at Keith’s cheek and nose, careful not to hurt him. 

 

Keith stayed still throughout the whole time, mostly because he was used to the pain. When he was little, he got into a few fights with some pompous kids who thought they were better than everyone else. Keith’s foster mom at the time cleaned him up. And when Shiro came into his life, he did the same when Keith couldn’t keep his anger in check.

 

“Your face isn’t all that scratched up.” Lance was looking intently at Keith’s cheeks. Keith tried very, very hard not to blush. “I think all the blood was from your nose.”

 

Keith hummed in response.

 

“Speaking of which, let me get some ice.” He stood up and opened the driver’s door, grabbing the fast food cup from the holder. He shook it, and Keith heard the sound of ice in it. “Nice.” 

 

He walked back over to the first aid kit and picked out a plastic bag. Lance opened it and poured the remaining ice from the cup into it, tying it shut. Grabbing tissues, he handed the bag to Keith. “Here, hold the tissues under your nose and the bag on top.”

 

“I know how to treat a bloody nose, Medic Man.” Keith rolled his eyes, but took the tissues and ice bag.

 

“Medic Man, huh?” Lance began to pack up the first aid kit. “I guess you’re… Hurt Man.”

 

Keith busted out in laughter. “ _Hurt Man?_ _That’s_ the best you could come up with?” He readjusted the ice and tissues, continuing to laugh. 

 

Lance turned red. “Yeah, actually! That is!” He walked around to the trunk and put the kit back in. “I’m a little distracted by a cute guy at the moment who happens to be a little hurt! Not to mention he hasn’t even  _ thanked _ me yet.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the car.

 

Keith laughed again. “Okay,  _ thank you _ , Medic Man.” Then it hit him. “Wait,  _ cute _ ?” 

 

If it was possible, Lance turned even redder. “U-uh… No? Psh.  _ No _ .”

 

“Lance.”

 

“Psh. What? No. Not cute.” He wasn’t responding to Keith. His head was turned away.

 

“ _ Lance. _ ” 

 

No response again, just muttering from Lance, the words “psh” and “no” over and over.

 

Keith huffed. He took off the ice and tissues and cupped his hands around Lance’s very red cheeks, forcing them to make eye contact. Which Lance was avoiding. 

 

“Jesus-  _ Lance. _ ” Keith squeezed his hands tighter.

 

He furrowed his eyebrows and took in a breath. 

 

Keith closed the gap between his and Lance’s lips. He heard a muffled gasp.

 

After a couple of seconds, Keith pulled away. “Want to listen to me now?”

 

Lance visibly gulped and nodded.

 

“You like me?” Keith was still cupping Lance’s cheeks.

 

He nodded reluctantly.

 

“Great, me too.” He released Lance’s face. Keith usually wasn’t this assertive when it came to relationships, but Lance was being so  _ oblivious _ . 

 

“G-great..” He was still blushing very hard. Lance swallowed and tried to put on his usual facial expression. “You should probably put the ice back on. Your nose looks a little bruised.”

 

Keith shrugged and put the ice back on. “Wait, I’m still confused as to why you were out of class to see me punch Lotor.”

 

Lance scratched his head. “Well, I walked a different way to my last class and I saw you out of the corner of my eye standing against the wall. Next thing I knew, you were on the ground punching Lotor like in the movie A Christmas Story.” 

 

“I’ve never seen that movie.” Keith squinted a bit and shook his head slightly.

 

“Wait, seriously?” Lance was wide eyed. “You’ve  _ never _ seen A Christmas Story?”

 

Keith shrugged. “No. I’ve lived in foster homes for most of my life. When I started living with Shiro, he only watched a couple movies. I guess that wasn’t one of them.”

 

“Oh man.” Lance glanced down. “I guess you’ll have to come to my Christmas party and we’ll watch it.”

 

Keith raised an eyebrow. “Okay.”

 

Lance looked back up at him and gave a small smile.

 

“Keith Kogane to Principal Zarkon’s office.  _ Now _ .” The intercom sounded, and both boys heard it from the parking lot. 

 

Keith froze and stared at Lance. They both let out a curse word at the same time.

 

“That took a long time.” Keith leaned against the car and chuckled. He tilted his head back and his face was neutral again, if a little scared. “Oh  _ god _ , I punched the principal’s son. I’m as good as dead!” He hit his free hand against his forehead. “Why did I do this? Oh  _ god _ why did I do this?” Keith titled his head back down, eyes wide and terrified. “Oh  _ shit _ , Shiro’s gonna kill me!” He looked up at Lance. “I’m so dead.”

 

“It’ll be okay. I’m going with you.” Lance crossed his arms as Keith closed his car door, hand still on the ice bag.

 

He shook his head. “You don’t need to-“ 

 

Lance interrupted him. “I don’t care. I’m going with you.” He smirked. “Someone’s gotta be your impulse control.”

 

Keith laughed a little and gave a small smirk in response. “Okay. Well, let’s go. I don’t want to get in any more trouble than I’m already in.”

 

Lance nodded and grabbed his keys, locking his car. He held out his hand for Keith to take. “I’m with you.”

 

Keith melted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hurt man is by far my favorite thing ive written yet
> 
> also i am very close to being done with chapter 3 which i think will be the last chapter, but who knows when itll actually be done, writers block is a mother h*cker, stay tuned for updates on my tumblr- todorokislion


	3. they figured it out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The radio played quietly as they lapsed into an easy silence. Lance hummed softly to a song that was playing. And Keith was happy.
> 
>  
> 
> And then Bohemian Rhapsody came on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back at it again with the uncreative chapter titles  
> anyways this is it folks!! its over with this one see u at the end!

Lance walked hand in hand with his friend (boyfriend? He wasn’t sure what they were) to the principal’s office. Keith’s hand was sweaty; he was nervous. Lance squeezed his hand and looked over at him.

 

“Hey.”

 

Keith glanced up. “What?”

 

“It’ll be okay.” Lance gave a tiny smile.

 

Keith looked back down and smiled to himself. “I hope so.”

 

Something moving in the distance caught Lance’s attention. It was two people running. Hunk and Pidge.

 

“Hey, it’s Hunk and Pidge!” Lance pointed with his free hand. He started walking towards them with Keith. 

 

“Huh?”

 

“DUDE!” Hunk yelled. “WHAT HAPPENED?”

 

“LONG STORY, BRO!” Lance began to run towards his friend to close the distance. He let go of Keith’s hand.

 

“Oh my- oh my  _ god _ -“ Hunk tried to catch his breath as he met Lance. “Remind me never-  _ never _ to run again-“

 

“Man, Alfor’s- Alfor’s class hasn’t-“ Lance gasped for air. “Hasn’t paid off-“ He heard footsteps running up to them and looked up to see Pidge behind Hunk and Keith beside Lance.

 

“Are you really out of breath?” Keith put a hand on Lance’s back. “Man.”

 

“Shut up.” He took a few more deep breaths and then stood up straight. Hunk did the same, with Pidge patting his arm as he straightened up.

 

“Okay. So what happened?” Hunk asked Lance.

 

“Well, a lot happened.” Lance rested an arm on Keith’s shoulder. “What do you want to know?”

 

Hunk and Pidge shared a look and smiled to each other, though Pidge’s looked slightly more evil than Hunk’s. 

 

“Okay, well I’ll start off with Alfor’s class. Why weren’t you there?” Hunk crossed his arms. “Oh my god, and why is Keith kind of bloody? I’m so confused.”

 

Now Keith and Lance shared a look. “Well,” Lance began, “Hurt Man here-“ 

 

Keith busted out in laughter, still holding on to his ice, which was almost all melted. He tossed the bag into a nearby trash can. “I’m- I’m sorry, go ahead.”

 

Lance laughed a bit himself before continuing. “He got into a fight with Lasagna before fourth period. I was a witness and cleaned him up.”

 

“Lasagna?” Hunk questioned.

 

“He means Lotor.” Pidge explained. She turned to Keith. “Dude, you punched Locomotion?”

 

Keith nodded. “He was getting on my nerves.” And then his eyes widened. “Oh  _ god _ , the principal is waiting for me.” 

 

“It’s okay. I’m going with you, remember?” Lance took hold of his hand again. Keith nodded, looking up at him.

 

“We can come too, if you want.” Pidge put a hand on Hunk’s arm. 

 

Hunk nodded in agreement. “Yeah, no worries.”

 

Keith smiled at them. “Thanks guys.”

 

“Ready?” Lance gave his hand a squeeze. 

 

Keith shook his head. “No, but I have you guys. It’ll be okay. Let’s go.”

 

And with that, the four friends began their walk to Principal Zarkon’s office.

 

————-

 

When Lance walked into the school hand in hand with Keith, the first person he saw was Shiro. The guy he flirted with at the coffee shop.

 

He stopped in his tracks and gaped at the man sitting down in the chairs by the principal’s office.

 

“Lance? What’s wrong?” Keith stared up at him.

 

“Who is that sitting in the chair?” Lance pointed towards Shiro.

 

“My roommate. Why? Do you know him?”

 

“Yeah… I think I flirted with him at the coffee shop.” Lance grew red and wiped a hand down his face in embarrassment.

 

“You  _ wha- _ “

 

“I was kidding! I told him I was kidding!” He slapped his hand on his forehead. “I’m never living this down, am I?”

 

“You- you  _ flirted _ with my  _ roommate _ ?” Keith’s eyes were wide with shock.

 

“Yep, never living it down.” He turned to Keith. “It’s a part of my  _ nature _ , I’m a living, breathing flirt machine, ask Hunk!” Lance held out a hand that gestured to his best friend. Keith looked at Hunk.

 

He nodded. “It’s true. No worries, he likes you.”

 

“See!” 

 

Keith huffed and looked away. “Whatever. Let’s go to the office.”

 

“Keith? Buddy? _My_ _man_?” Lance pleaded. But Keith was still holding on to his hand, so he knew it would be okay. 

 

“Come on, Lance.” He began to drag Lance towards the office. Hunk and Pidge followed.

 

“Keith? Oh my  _ god _ , Keith! What did you  _ do _ ?” Shiro stood up as soon as he saw his roommate. “The school wouldn’t tell me what happened. Keith, why are you bruised and bloody?” He sounded very distressed.

 

“Long story, Shiro.” 

 

Shiro sighed. “Well, Principal Zarkon’s been waiting a good twenty minutes for you guys.” He glanced from Keith’s face to his hand joined with Lance’s to Keith again and raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

 

Shiro knocked and opened the door to the Office of Doom. Lance rubbed a finger over Keith’s hand before following Shiro into the room with Pidge and Hunk trailing behind them. Once they entered, they all sat in their own chairs.

 

Zarkon’s face was full of pure hatred. The scars running down either side of his face twitched with anger.

 

Lotor was no better. He was holding a tissue under his nose that looked bloody and an ice pack dramatically to his head, even though Lance  _ knew _ Keith didn’t hit him in the head. His facial expression was unreadable, though everyone knew he was seething with anger, and a little embarrassment. Lance smirked to himself. He wouldn’t live this down at school.

 

Behind Lotor stood Zethrid, one of his friends, standing as threatening and as stoic as ever. Lance was a bit afraid of her. 

 

Zarkon finally spoke, his voice deep and as cold as ice. “Keith Kogane.”

 

Keith cleared his throat. “Sir.” Lance was still holding his hand, and he squeezed it reassuringly.

 

“Do you understand why you’re here?” 

 

“Yes, sir.” Keith didn’t make eye contact.

 

“Do you know what  _ I  _ don’t understand, Kogane?” Zarkon shifted so his hands were clasped together.

 

“No, sir.” Lance saw Keith flit his eyes from Zarkon back to the floor.

 

“I don’t understand,” he paused, “why your friends are here. They should be in class, correct?”

 

Lance chimed in. “We’re here for moral support, because that’s what friends do.”

 

“Well don’t count on coming to school for the next three days, you and your little friends are suspended for not being in class.” Zarkon’s eyes twinkled in the evilest way possible.

 

Lance’s jaw dropped to the floor. His eyes were wide with shock.  _ Suspended? For  _ three  _ days?  _ he thought.  _ But Zethrid’s here, too.  _ He shouldn’t be surprised though, it was the principal’s son’s friend. They could get away with virtually anything.

 

“Wait, wait,” Pidge waved her hand around. “You’re punishing us for not being in class, but the punishment is  _ not being in class _ . I’m a little confused, sir.”

 

Lance could practically  _ see  _ the steam coming out of the principal’s ears. He smirked to himself.

 

“Lance McClain, right?” Zarkon’s attention was on Lance now. And it was frightening.

 

“Y-yes sir.” His smirk was a shaky one.

 

“Wipe that smirk off of your face, or it’ll be four days for you.” He turned his head to Pidge. “And you too, if you keep disrespecting me.”

 

Pidge gulped and nodded.

 

“You may leave.” Zarkon pointed his gnarly finger toward the door. “You too, bandana.” Hunk froze and sat up straight, visibly shaking. He quickly nodded a couple of times before getting up and walking out. He didn’t even look back. Lance would find it funny if he weren’t in the presence of the scariest man he’d ever had the displeasure of meeting.

 

He slowly stood up, releasing Keith’s hand after one final squeeze. “It’ll be okay.” He whispered. Keith slumped slightly and sighed, closing his eyes for a couple of seconds. 

 

Lance walked over to the door with Pidge trailing behind him. He gave one final look back to Keith before leaving. 

 

————-

 

Keith was shaking. He could tell that Shiro was pissed at him. 

 

The room felt empty without his friends in it. 

 

“Now, Kogane.” Zarkon’s voice was as icy as ever. “Why did you punch my son?”

 

Keith still wouldn’t look up. “He provoked me.” He knew he would lose this fight, but it was worth a shot. Lotor shuffled beside him, smug as ever.

 

“How?”

 

“He bullies me everyday and today he was just  _ trying  _ to get a reaction out of me.” Keith heard Lotor huff. 

 

“Lotor, what is your side of this?” Zarkon turned his attention to his son.

 

“Father, he  _ punched _ me.” Lotor dramatically readjusted the ice bag on his head. “That’s my side.”

 

Keith glanced up, finally, and saw what looked like Zarkon rolling his eyes slightly. 

 

Zarkon nodded and sighed quietly enough that Keith could hear it. 

 

“Kogane.” He turned his gaze to Keith again.

 

“Sir.” He made eye contact.

 

“You’re expelled, for violent actions against a student, and my son, no less.” He seemed a little reluctant to add the last part.

 

Keith was sure his heart stopped.  _ Expelled? _

 

Shiro finally spoke, his voice expressing his shock. “Expelled? With all due respect, sir, doesn’t that seem a little harsh?” 

 

“No.” Zarkon was stoic and sharp with his answer. “You both may go, that will be all.” 

 

Keith immediately rose out of his seat and walked out, eager to leave. Shiro followed behind him. They were greeted by Lance, Hunk, and Pidge.

 

“Hey, how’d it go?” Hunk asked, his voice apprehensive.

 

“I got-“ He was cut off by his roommate.

 

“Sorry guys, I have to talk to Keith for a minute.” Shiro grabbed Keith’s shoulder and pulled him aside toward an exit. “Really, Keith? You  _ had _ to punch the principal’s son?”

 

“It’s not my fault he provoked me!” Keith was exasperated.

 

“I know it’s not, but you really need to keep your anger in check!” He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Are you okay?”

 

Keith looked away. “Yeah. Lance cleaned me up.”

 

“Lance, huh?” Shiro quieted his voice. “What’s the deal there?”

 

“I don’t really know.” He paused. “I like him and he likes me, but we haven’t really… established anything.”

 

Shiro hummed. “Well, you should probably do something.”

 

“What else can I do? I’ve already kissed him!” He threw up his hands.

 

“I don’t know, man! Do it again or something!” Shiro copied Keith’s hand motions. “Anyways, we’re talking more about this fight at home. Do you need a ride?”

 

Keith shrugged. He looked over at his friends. “Hey! Do I need a ride home?” They looked over at him. Lance shook his head. “I got ya, buddy.” Keith turned his attention to Shiro. “I do not need a ride.”

 

Shiro chuckled and nodded. “Okay, I’ll see you at home. Text me, please don’t get into fights, and stay safe.”

 

Keith gave a small smile. “See you later. Thanks for being cool.”

 

Shiro gave a thumbs up and walked out the door, waving as he left. Keith returned the gesture and made his way back over to his friends.

 

“So I guess we can all hang out while we’re suspended.” Pidge grinned.

 

“Oh yeah, Keith what happened in there?” Lance asked.

 

“Oh.” Keith paused. “I got expelled.”

 

Hunk’s face was one of shock. “You got  _ expelled _ ? That seems kind of excessive.”

 

He shrugged. “Zarkon’s a pretty excessive guy.”

 

The door to the office opened and Lotor walked out. His face was surprised at first, seeing all of Keith’s friends, but then it changed to a smug look. Keith smiled sweetly and held up his middle finger. 

 

Lotor opened his mouth in shock and then walked away, with Zethrid throwing back a dirty look before following him. 

 

Lance laughed. He put his arm around Keith. “Let’s go before you start throwing punches again.” Keith glared at him, but it had no bite to it.

 

“You guys want to go to the coffee shop?” Hunk offered as he took his keys out of his pocket.

 

“Sounds good.” Pidge answered. Everyone agreed. “Hey, can I get a ride? Matt’s taking his online class right now and I don’t want to bother him.”

 

Hunk nodded and smiled warmly. “Yeah, no worries.” He swung his keys around his finger. “Let’s roll.”

 

The group made their way out to their respective cars and exchanged goodbyes before heading to the coffee shop. Keith went with Lance and Pidge went with Hunk.

 

The car ride wasn’t awkward at all, and for that Keith was grateful. The two lapsed into another comfortable silence before Keith broke it.

 

“So… this is gonna sound like a meme or something, but-“ He was cut off by Lance.

 

“You know about memes?” He glanced over quickly, only taking his eyes off the road for a second. “I never would’ve thought you knew memes.”

 

“Of  _ course _ I know memes,” He said, sounding hurt. “As I was  _ saying _ …” Keith took a breath. “What are we?”

 

Lance laughed. “Man, hitting me with an oldie.” He repositioned his hands on the steering wheel. “To answer your meme question, I’d say we’re both pretty gay. Though I’m bi, but that’s not the point.”

 

“Obviously I know we’re both gay, but thanks.” He leaned his head back onto the seat. “I meant, are we together or what?”

 

Lance gave a side smirk. “I mean, I’d like to be if you’d like to be.” He stole a look at Keith.

 

“Okay, cool. I would like to be together.”

 

“Cool.” Lance chuckled to himself. Keith raised an eyebrow in question. “I just think it’s funny how were so assertive a while ago and now you’re awkward.”

 

Keith shrugged. “I don’t know, man.”

 

“So,” Lance paused for dramatic effect. “would you like to go out on a date with me?” He grinned smugly and looked over at Keith.

 

Keith just huffed and rolled his eyes, but he had a smile on his face that was as wide as Lance’s. “Yeah.”

 

“What, that’s all I get?”

 

“Yep.” Keith started to laugh. Apparently it was contagious, because Lance began to do the same.

 

The radio played quietly as they lapsed into an easy silence. Lance hummed softly to a song that was playing. And Keith was happy.

 

And then Bohemian Rhapsody came on.

 

Lance all but jumped out of his seat, which startled Keith. 

 

“Lance, wha-“ But Lance put a finger to Keith’s lips.

 

“ _ Is this the real life? _ ” He cranked up the volume. “ _ Is this just fantasy? _ ”

 

Keith rolled his eyes, but was smiling.

 

“ _ Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality.”  _ Lance was perfectly in tune with the song. He continued to sing while Keith planned his grand entrance. 

 

“ _ I’m just a poor boy! I need no sympathy!” _

 

He smiled slyly to himself. He knew when he was coming in.

 

Lance kept on singing until Keith decided finally that it was time.

 

“ _ But now I’ve gone and thrown it all away…” _

 

“ _ Mama! Ooooh! _ ” Keith all but yelled his part. Lance whooped and pumped a fist in the air. “ _ I didn’t mean to make you cry! If I’m not back again, this time tomorrow- _ “

 

“ _ Carry on, carry on! As if nothing really matters.”  _ Lance joined in with him. They both began to laugh in between the lyrics.

 

When the two got to the coffee shop, they were banging their heads, with Keith on the guitar and Lance on drums when it was safe. Keith had some pretty sick guitar solos.

 

“ _ Galileo!” _

 

_ “Galileo.”  _ Keith took the lower part while Lance took the higher part. He had a better vocal range than Keith.

 

“ _ Galileo!” _

 

_ “Galileo.” _

 

_ “Galileo figaro!” _

 

They both joined in for the next lyric. “ _ Magnífico-o-o-o-o!” _

 

The singing continued on and Keith was pretty sure he was close to being in love with Lance.

 

“ _ Beezlebub has a devil put aside for me…” _

 

_ “For me…” _

 

_ “For me!”  _ Lance hit the high note, and Keith cheered. “Yes, Lance!” 

 

As Lance pulled into the coffee shop parking lot, both boys were rocking, and it was only until the song ended that they both saw Hunk and Pidge. They were pulled up beside Lance and Keith, staring wide eyed and open mouthed. Hunk made a confused gesture and shook his head. 

 

Lance turned his car off and unlocked the doors. They both opened their doors to greet their friends.

 

“What were you doing?” Hunk asked. “We stood here for a good minute while you guys were… I don’t even know what you were doing.”

 

“Bohemian Rhapsody, my sweet Hunk.” Lance answered, locking his car and stuffing his keys into his pocket.

 

Both Pidge and Hunk made an  _ o _ shape with their mouths. “Gotcha.” Hunk began to walk. “Well, let’s get this party started!”

 

They all walked into the shop, the door jingling as it opened. Keith immediately saw how Hunk looked at the girl behind the counter.  _ Shay _ , he thought. 

 

“Oh, hey Keith!” She greeted them. 

 

He waved to his friend and picked out a booth to sit at. Lance followed close behind him and slid across from him. 

 

“Hey, Shay.” He waved at her as he walked up to order.

 

“I’ll just have a small iced coffee, please.” 

 

“That’ll be $1.87.” Shay leaned forward and lowered her voice. “And, I’m about to be on my lunch break, in like five minutes. Do you think your friend would like to sit with me?” She nodded towards Hunk, who was sitting across from Lance in a booth with a small blush on his face. His eyes flicked back and forth from Shay to Lance. 

 

Keith chuckled. “Who, Hunk? Yeah. I think he’d like that.”

 

Shay smiled warmly. “Okay. Cool.” She put the money into the register. “Thanks. I’ll see you later!”

 

“Bye, Shay.” Keith picked up his drink that another employee made and went to sit in the booth where Hunk and Lance were. He noticed that Pidge was sitting with someone who looked very similar to her.  _ That must be Matt. _ He thought.  _ I guess his class is over. _

 

Keith turned his attention to Hunk. “I got you a date.” 

 

Hunk all but choked. “A date? With who?”

 

“Shay, the cashier you’ve been staring at.”

 

Lance patted Keith on the back and put his arm around him. “Nice going, buddy.”

 

Hunk turned even redder. “When?”

 

Keith sat back, leaning into Lance’s arm. “On her lunch break.” He looked at his watch. “In about two minutes.” 

 

“Oh god,” Hunk stressed. “Do I look okay?”

 

Lance laughed. “You look fine, buddy. Now go sit at a table for two. I’m sure she’s waiting.” He shooed his friend out of their booth. Lance waved as Hunk picked out a new table for his date.

 

“They grow up so fast.” Lance sighed, resting his cheek on his hand.

 

“I know.” Keith shook his head and looked at Lance. He smiled fondly.

 

Lance looked at him with his blue eyes that Keith loved so much. “What?”

 

“Nothing.” 

 

“What? No.” Lance sat up. “You can’t leave me hanging like that.”

 

Keith shrugged. “Oh well.”

 

A cup was placed in front of Keith. He looked up to see Shay with her hands on her hips. “Here’s your coffee.” 

 

Keith smiled and thanked her. “Have fun on your date.”

 

Shay laughed. “Thanks, I will. See you later!”

 

Keith waved and watched as she sat down across from Hunk. He could see his nervous friend smile as she greeted him. A soft smile played on Keith’s face.  _ They’ll be good for each other.  _ He thought.

 

He leaned even more into Lance, and found his free hand, entwining it with his own. Keith felt Lance’s head move onto his. Butterflies flew wildly in Keith’s stomach.

 

“What are we going to do when we graduate?” Lance’s voice sounded sad. “We’re seniors, we have to go to college next year.”

 

Keith closed his eyes and sighed. “Yeah.” He paused. “Where do you want to go?”

 

He could feel Lance smile. “I’ve applied to the College of Altea. I got my acceptance letter, like, two days ago.” Lance began to move his fingers in a circle on Keith’s shoulder. 

 

“That’s great, Lance!” Keith hoped that didn’t sound sarcastic. He was about to mention something else when Lance began talking again. 

 

“Yeah! I’m so excited.” Lance’s smile faded away. “Wait.” He sat up. “Since you got expelled, what are you going to do about applications?” The look on his face was worried.

 

“Oh. Well, about that.” A smile tugged Keith’s lips. “I’ve already applied.” 

 

Lance’s eyebrow was raised and he had hope in his eyes. “Really? Where?”

 

Keith closed his eyes and sat back against the booth, crossing his arms. “The College of Altea.”

 

Lance’s eyes widened in shock. “No way!  _ Dude _ !” He grabbed Keith by the shoulders gently and stared him in the eyes. “Are you serious?”

 

“Yep. And I just got my acceptance letter yesterday.” Keith couldn’t contain his grin. 

 

“That’s amazing!” Lance’s face broke out into a wide smile. “We’re going to the same college!”

 

Keith laughed. “Yeah we are!” 

 

“I’m so happy, I could kiss you!” Lance’s face was pink, but still excited. 

 

“What’s stopping you?” Keith questioned, leaning forward. 

 

Lance was quiet for a second. “Nothing, I guess.” As soon as he finished the sentence, he pressed his lips to Keith’s. Keith cupped his hands around Lance’s cheeks and smiled into the kiss. He was so happy.

 

“Gross!” Pidge called from her booth. They could both tell that she wasn’t serious, however.

 

Keith heard Hunk sigh as he pulled away reluctantly from Lance. “Does this count as our date?” He smirked.

 

“Only if you want it to.” Lance paused. “But I, however, would like more. If you would, of course.”

 

“Obviously, I do.”

 

“Cool, cool.” Lance was nodding. “Me too.”

 

“You said that already.” Keith pointed out.

 

“That I did, Keith my man.” He pressed a kiss to Keith’s forehead, leaving Keith blushing and grinning like an idiot. Lance’s gaze was soft and loving as Keith looked him in the eyes. 

 

“What?” Keith was still a little pink.

 

“Nothing.” Lance smiled. 

 

“What? No.” Keith mocked. “You can’t just leave me hanging like that.” He made his best Lance impression.

 

Lance laughed loudly. “Okay, that was pretty spot on. I guess I have to tell you now.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m just really excited for college. With you.”

 

Keith looked away before his tomato red face was seen. He supposed it didn’t matter since Lance’s face was the same color. “Me too.” He leaned forward and pecked a kiss on Lance’s cheek. 

 

“Plus,” Lance added, accepting the tiny kiss Keith gave, “we won’t have to deal with Lamborghini ever again.” 

 

“True, and Lamborghini, nice one.” Keith chuckled. “My personal favorite is Landfill.”

 

“Ooh, that one is my new favorite now.” Lance sighed and smiled, staring off into the distance. “I hate him so much.”

 

Keith did the same. “Me too.” He laid his head in Lance’s shoulder again. 

 

Yeah, Keith really couldn’t wait until college now.

 

**_______________**

 

_ Epilogue: A couple months later _

 

“Thanks again for helping me, babe.” Lance winked at Keith as he put down the last of his boxes on his college dorm room desk.

 

“It’s the least I can do.” Keith joked. He set down his own box on top of the other ones. “Besides, it’s another way for me to spend more time with you.”

 

“You flatter me.” Lance came behind Keith and got on his tippy toes, setting his chin on the top of his boyfriend’s head. “Ha! I’m taller than you.” 

 

“That’s hardly fair.” Keith crossed his arms and stepped out from under Lance, making him stumble a bit. “You were on your tippy toes.”

 

Lance shrugged. “I mean I  _ am  _ taller than you. Even if it is by half an inch.”

 

Keith shot him a glare, but it had no bite.

 

“Oh come on, babe. You love me.” Lance lifted Keith’s chin and gave him a small kiss. That was enough to get his boyfriend to smile.

 

“Yeah.” Keith’s eyes were soft and full of happiness. “I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fav parts to write were bohemian rhapsody and coming up with names for priced locomotive  
> anywaaaaays i hope you enjoyed it !! ive got more prompts and im currently writing a tododeku fic so!! look forward to that mmm my tumblr is todorokislion come pop by n give me a chat or whatever  
> thanks for reading i love u guys so much!!!!!!!


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